Health & Environment

Published on 25 February 2015 by Bassam Al-Khameri in Health & Environment

Although Yemen has close to five million date palms of its own, over a million tons of dates were imported into the country last year. There are fears that greater reliance may be placed on imports as farmers struggle to contain the red palm weevil, a pest that has decimated plantations throughout the world and threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis.

Published on 19 January 2015 by Bassam Al-Khameri in Health & Environment

“My wife suffers from stomach cancer and I have to pay YR200,000 [about $1000] every 21 days to get an injection,” said Salah Ahmad, a father of five and resident in Sana'a who is originally from Taiz.

In 2010, the Yemeni government began plans to construct a water desalination plant in the coastal city of Mokha in Taiz governorate, hiring JFA Consulting, a British consulting firm, to assess the feasibility of the project. The plant would be connected via a pipeline to Taiz city, often referred to as Yemen’s driest, located 94 kilometers east of Mokha and the proposed site. Hypothetically, within several years, the plant would able to meet the entirety of Taiz’s water consumption needs, at 55,000 cubic meters (m3) per day. The project was suggested due to the persistent water shortages that have been seen throughout the country as a result of the drying up of the country’s ground water reserves, which have increased in recent years. According to government estimates, at least 19 of Yemen’s 21 ground aquifers are over exploited.

This is a two part piece about the water crisis in the city of Taiz and the feasibility of water desalination in Yemen. Part one is below, part two will run on Thursday.

Yemen is quickly becoming one of the driest places on earth, and, according to some estimates, might be the world’s first country to run out of water. Some parts of Yemen have suffered more from water scarcity then others, foremost among them the city of Taiz, located off the Red Sea coast in the country’s southwest corner.

Published on 2 December 2014 by Bassam Al-Khameri in Health & Environment

Salah Al-Deen Al-Sukini, a 22-year-old resident of Sana’a, stood in front of the emergency room at the state-run Al-Thawra Hospital in Sana’a on Nov. 11, waiting for news of his wife who was giving birth to their first child. She had long suffered from hypertension and high blood pressure, and had been instructed by doctors to undergo a cesarean section to avoid complications during her child birth. Doctors told Al-Sukini that without a cesarean section, child birth might lead to heart and cardiovascular diseases, or in the worst case scenario, death. “When I heard that my wife and unborn child could die, I opted for the surgery, without thinking,” he said. “It cost $100, but it was worth it. The operation went smoothly, and both my wife and child are fine now,” he said.

Published on 11 September 2014 by Mohammed Al-Khayat in Health & Environment

“A four-hour drive on a rough road—that’s what it took to arrive at our destination. When we arrived, exhausted from the trip, we headed swiftly for the clay houses, wanting to fulfill our humane goal of helping the children of the area by providing them with essential vaccines. We were surprised when their parents refused to allow us to give them the vaccines.”

Published on 8 September 2014 by Madiha Al-Junaid in Health & Environment

Five years ago, Yasmin Dammaj, general manager at the Industrial Management Department of the Yemen Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control Organization (YSMO), was battling severe stress and sleep deprivation. “The unbearable sounds from a carpentry workshop near my house constantly affected my ability to sleep and function.” The loud sound levels from the equipment used at the carpentry workshop compelled Dammaj to take the issue to court.

Published on 7 August 2014 by Madiha Al-Junaid in Health & Environment

Plastic bags of different colors and sizes are found floating around freely, scattered in the streets, posing a serious environmental threat to the country. It is a typical sight in Yemeni cities, including the capital Sana’a. Some of the bags are piled up as waste around street corners, often burning or molding, leaving unpleasant odors.